Lawmaker warns government ‘savings’ could cost vets critical services

The House’s top Democrat for veterans policy supports finding ways to save money at the Department of Veterans Affairs. But he worries the White House’s current approach to that goal will end up costing veterans access to care and benefits as it looks for savings.

“[This administration] wants to hold up some sort of pelt and say, ‘Look, we cut this many jobs, we’re saving you all this money,’” House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano, D-Calif., said in an interview with Military Times this week. “But caring for our veterans really shouldn’t be rooted in how much money we’re saving.

“We are taking care of veterans whose bodies have been mangled by war, or who are suffering from PTSD, or who need extra mental health care. This is going to take spending of money, and the taxpayer doesn’t begrudge that. The [Department of Government Efficiency] mentality of only finding savings should not be what’s driving policy.”

Over the last few months, Takano has been among the most prominent critics of President Donald Trump’s reform efforts at the department, which include plans to cut the workforce by more than 80,000 staffers, eliminate thousands of contract agreements and scale back services deemed extraneous by administration leaders.

Takano said the department does need to find ways to improve efficiency and best use its funding, but he believes cutting workers and scaling back its budget won’t ultimately improve the agency.

“I don’t think they’re thinking about veterans first,” Takano said, referencing VA Secretary Doug Collins’ often-used leadership mantra to put “veterans first” in department decisions.

With the White House and both chambers of Congress under Republican control, the six-term congressman acknowledged there are limits to what his party can do to oppose any cuts or reforms to VA programs.

He said his chief responsibility now is to highlight the dangers the plans could pose to department services, even as VA leaders insist that changes won’t disrupt any benefits.

“Republicans are deluding themselves if they think that the American people want to see some kind of Hunger Games fight [over funding] created between veterans and things like school lunches programs,” Takano said.

Democrats on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee have scheduled “shadow” hearings starting next week to focus on issues they say Republican leaders are refusing to feature in regular committee schedules. Takano said he is considering similar actions on the House side, as well as other efforts to keep attention on VA policy moves.